Telephone handsets are devices commonly used to receive telephone voice transmissions and to send user voice data. The term “handset,” as used herein, refers to any communication instrument equipped with a receiver and a transmitter that enables a user to receive and transmit data, regardless of the type of data transmitted or received, be it analog or digital, or the means by which the data is routed, be it over a traditional telephone line, radio waves, coaxial cable, voice over IP, Ethernet, fiber optics, or any other means used now or contemplated in the future for transmitting and receiving data. Handsets have been used in a plethora of different devices, including conventional corded telephones, cordless telephones, modular cellular mobile telephones, or any other portable communication device found in the marketplace. During a telephone call, a person typically holds the telephone handset in one hand so as to position it in close proximity to the person's ear and mouth for the duration of the telephone call. While this is not an especially laborious task for the user, it nonetheless severely limits the user from carrying out other activities during the telephone call that would otherwise require the use of both of the user's hands.
People frequently use telephone handsets, particularly cordless and mobile telephones, to carry on conversations while engaged in other activities. These activities include, for example, using a computer, cooking, cleaning, walking, driving a motor vehicle, etc. With the increased prevalence and use of mobile telephones and other portable communication devices, there is a growing need for users to operate such devices without the use of their hands, thereby allowing users to carry out other tasks simultaneously. For example, mobile telephone users may have the need to talk on a mobile telephone and drive a vehicle at the same time. For safety purposes, it is advantageous for a driver to use both hands while driving and not have to hold a mobile telephone with one hand and drive with the other hand. Likewise, while talking on a mobile telephone, a mobile telephone user may need to carry out tasks that require both hands, such as typing on a computer or carrying out other administrative tasks. Many of these activities can be performed easier, more efficiently and safer via the use of two hands rather than the use of one hand. By being able to utilize both hands while talking on a mobile telephone or other such communication device, a user is able to increase efficiency and productivity. An apparatus and method that would allow hands free use of a telephone handset would ameliorate the problems prevalent in the prior art.
A number of telephone handset holders have been suggested and developed in the prior art in an effort to address the need to utilize such devices without the use of an individual's hand. One such attempt to resolve the above-described problem is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,453, issued to Seidel, which discloses a telephone handset support device. The device employs a standard headband, which fits over the user's entire head. One portion of the assembly is secured to the telephone earpiece via a one-piece molded plastic component. The telephone is attached to the headband assembly by unscrewing the telephone earpiece and inserting the earpiece section between the handle portion of the telephone hand set and the removable earpiece, before re-screwing the telephone earpiece. A user apparently must wear a large and inflexible headband, which is cumbersome and difficult to transport. Furthermore, the device can only be used with traditional non-mobile telephones, and cannot be used with more modern mobile telephones due to the lack of a removable earpiece found in devices.
A similar attempt to the Seidel patent is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,061, issued to Donaldson. The telephone handset holder disclosed in Donaldson comprises a band that fits over the user's head and that connects to the telephone handset via a permanently affixed flexible joint. As with previous attempts to create user friendly telephone holding devices, the device disclosed by Donaldson does not completely solve the problems found in the prior art. The headband that supports the telephone is large in size and difficult to transport. In addition, the device disclosed by Donaldson requires the permanent installation of a flexible connector joint to the phone. Installing such a connector joint is time consuming and adversely affects the appearance of the phone by adding unnecessary weight to the mobile phone and disrupting a mobile phone's otherwise ergonomic design. Other U.S. patents have also disclosed a headband and a coupling mechanism fitted to the exterior of a telephone handset. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,256, issued to Malekos, discloses the use of a movable ball and socket coupling device which is attached to the exterior of the telephone handset. As with other prior art attempts, the device disclosed by Malekos adversely affects the design and appearance of the telephone handset, and consequently fails to adequately solve the problems found in the prior art.
Other prior art efforts have recognized the problems in using rigid head bands to support the telephone handset. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,378, issued to Jordan, a telephone holder is disclosed that comprise a rigid one-piece handset that affixes to a user's head via a flexible elastic band. The elastic band is connected to the telephone receiver by means of Velcro®. While the use of an elastic band solves the problem of transporting a rigid headpiece, the use of Velcro® to attach the elastic band to the telephone is not advantageous. Proper use of the handset disclosed by Jordan requires the installation of a Velcro® fastening component to the face of the telephone, which adversely affects the telephone's appearance and is not desirable to the end user. The use of Velcro® to bind a telephone handset to a holding device is also cited in other U.S. patent applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,558, issued to Osgood et al., discloses a telephone hand set holder that mounts to the user's head or headgear via the hock and loop fasteners that typically embody Velcro®. Just as with other prior art attempts that employ Velcro® to bind a telephone handset to a holding device, the support provided by Velcro® fails to adequately support the weight of most telephone handsets, thereby creating a large likelihood that the telephone handset could fall and become damaged.
Some prior art telephone handset holders have employed alternative means of supporting a telephone handset other than the use of a head band fitted around the user's head. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,211, issued to Huntley, the telephone handset is supported via a structure that fits over the user's head, rests on the user's shoulders, and is secured to the user via an adjustable strap that fits under the user's arms. The support structure is made of metal and has a rectangular is shape comprising two L-shaped components fitted with a vertical phone support cradle attached to one end of one of the L-shaped members. While the structure disclosed by Huntley enables a person to use a telephone without support from the user's hand, the structure is bulky, immobile, and time consuming to properly attach to the user.
Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,317, issued to Wong, discloses a telephone handset support device that uses a combination of an elastic headband and a retractable metal rod to support the telephone handset. The elastic telephone support device disclosed in Wong comprises an extendable elastic loop that is placed around the user's head to support the upper end of the telephone headset, while an extendable support rod rests on the shoulder of the person to support the lower end of the telephone hand set. Both the elastic loop and the extendable support rod retract into the interior of the handset. Although the telephone support device disclosed by Wong is easier to carry and use than other prior art attempts to create a telephone support device, the device still has its deficiencies. The device only works with traditional telephone handsets, and does not work with more modern mobile phone embodiments because the extendable support rod does not fit in the interior of a mobile phone or other such communication device.
Other prior art attempts have employed various permutations of previous prior art efforts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,113, issued to Golliher, discloses a hands free telephone support device comprising an elongate strap that fits over the top of the user's head and wraps around the user's chin. Each end of the elongate strap is affixed to an end of the telephone receiver, with one end affixed via Velcro® and the other end of the elongate strap wrapped around the opposite end of the telephone receiver. The elongate strap is fully adjustable to a variety of head sizes, and can be used on the left or right ear of an individual, and used on a variety of different telephone types and/or telephone receivers. While the invention disclosed by Golliher attempts to solve some of the deficiencies found in other prior attempts, the device disclosed in Golliher is still flawed. The Golliher telephone support device comprises several pieces, requiring a user to put the device together before being able to speak into the phone without the use of the user's hands. This solution is inconvenient for the user and requires the expenditure of an inordinate amount of time. Moreover, because the elongate straps wrap around a user's chin and mouth area, a user's speaking patterns may become impeded and garbled due to the device's restrictive strap.
There have been some prior art efforts to create a telephone handset holding device that can specifically be used in conjunction with mobile telephones. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,869, issued to Zinno, discloses a mobile telephone handset holder that can be used in a motor vehicle. The mobile phone is supported via a device that slides onto a standard car seat belt. While the invention disclosed in Zinno provides adequate support for a mobile telephone, its limitations are clear. The mobile telephone holder disclosed by Zinno can only be used in a car and can not be utilized by a mobile phone user outside the car. Moreover, the positioning of the mobile phone holder is limited by the position of the seatbelt, thereby severely affecting the possible range of desired positions for the mobile telephone.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,615, issued to Yang, discloses an earphone for a mobile telephone handset that fits in the user's ear via a hanger. Yang incorporates a separate speaker element that fits into the user's ear and that must also be connected to the mobile phone via a cord and plug. Although the earphone is easy to transport, it nonetheless requires an additional means of attaching the mobile phone to some other part of the user's body to properly allow the user to utilize the mobile phone without the use of the user's hand. The various components are cumbersome and require multiple installation steps before the user can answer an incoming call or make an outgoing call.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,090, issued to Morales, discloses a cellular telephone handset holder that uses a clamp gripping device to support the sides and bottom of a mobile phone, before clipping it to a user's ear. The handset holder comprising multiple pieces and has an inner and outer clip portion that “pinches” the front and back lobes of a user's ear. The Morales' device apparently only works with mobile telephones that are “single piece,” i.e., a phone without any movable components or a phone that doesn't have a “flip open” feature, which is found in many modern mobile telephone handset embodiments. Consequently, the invention disclosed in Morales is limited in use and does not adequately account for the various different types of mobile telephone handset shapes and sizes that permeate today's marketplace.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,639,985, issued to Liu, discloses a phone that utilizes an ear hanger assembly that hangs from a user's ear. While the invention disclosed in Liu addresses some of the problems found in the prior art, it nonetheless requires the permanent installation of the phone hanger to the mobile phone. Consequently, a user is required to physically attach the phone hanger to the mobile phone, adding extra time and cost. Moreover, permanently attaching the phone hanger to the telephone adds unnecessary thickness, girth and weight to the mobile phone, which is disadvantageous given the growing trend of mobile phone manufacturers creating lightweight and slim mobile phones to satiate consumer demand for compactness.
There is a need for a mobile telephone handset holding device that is small in size, easy to transport, requires little to no assembly and does not adversely affect the appearance or design of the mobile telephone. Moreover, there is a need for a mobile telephone handset holding device that can be used on a plethora of different types of mobile telephone models or other portable communication devices and that can account for variations in shapes, sizes and methods of operation.